Tens of Thousands of People Just Showed Nazis (and Donald Trump) What Really Makes America Great

This is what democracy looks like.

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One week after a bitterly violent protest in Charlottesville, Va., that left one woman dead and 19 injured, tens of thousands of counter-protesters marched in at least 30 cities, including New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C. to demonstrate their opposition to white nationalism. The largest protest by far was in Boston, where an estimated 30,000-40,000 counter-protesters showed up, according to theBoston Globe. Only a handful of people attended the planned “Free Speech” protest, and they were quickly overwhelmed.

The fight over symbolism that pays homage to the Confederacy gained increasing momentum over the week after President Donald Trump criticized protesters “on both sides” of the battle,” all but defending the white nationalists who have vowed to, as they shouted in Charlottesville, “unite the Right.”

His statement was greeted with criticism from both parties, and demonstrations today were organized in anticipation of still more protests by white nationalists emboldened by his remarks. But if there were any Nazis planning to demonstrate, they were outnumbered by thousands of peaceful counter-protesters.

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Brandon is a reporter at Mother Jones' San Francisco bureau who covers policing and criminal justice issues. He also writes about queer identity politics. Follow him on twitter at @myblackmindd and email him at bpatterson@motherjones.com.